It’s a little over two years since we first reported on Alisa Smith and James Mackinnon’s 100 Mile Diet. Yet in that time their experiment has cooked up a website and a book, as well as inspiring many locally focused eateries like the Local Burger in Kansas, and a British restaurant that sources 85% of its food from within the realm of London’s underground ‘Tube’ network (in turn seeding it’s own TV program, the Urban Chef.) Also in the UK is Carpé Diem a restaurant, where more than 50% of their menu comes from within 50 miles.

So it was about time the movement found its way down under. And it has, with the 100 Mile Café, which proclaims its intentions rather obviously. Opened a few months ago in the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, it’s more restaurant than cafe (desserts are $14 USD), but strives to source the “best possible meat, seafood and produce” from within a hundred mile radius.

A review in The Age gave it a Recommended rating and found the combination Japanese inspired French provincial menu to be uniquely robust. The reviewer was also taken with how their bill came in a brown paper bag, printed with the ‘go local’ rationale and also sporting a complimentary packet of lettuce seeds. Menu and opening hours on their website at ::100 Mile Café.

Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:

• Frugal Green Living: The Return of the Root Cellar
• From Community Supported Agriculture to a Community Supported Kitchen
• Botanical Olympics for London 2012
• Preparing for Peak Oil: Local Authorities and the Energy Crisis

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